If you had a craving for apple donuts, you had to get to Apple Fest early in Long Grove over the weekend.
The 33rd Apple Fest sold out of apple cider donuts each of the three days of the festival, which started Friday.
“The donuts are incredible,” said Roshini Jasuja of Kildeer, who attended the festival with family on Sunday.
On Sunday, apple cider donuts ran out by 3 p.m. at Broken Bridge Treats.
“Everyone likes the donuts,” said Ryan Messner, a Long Grove business owner and the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association president. “The tens of thousands of donuts that have been sold over the last three days is just an insane amount. They’re running out and they’re restocking.
“The donuts have probably been the number one hit, but everywhere you go is something apple, so it’s fun,” he said.
The weekend weather was pleasant, helping to draw in about 20,000 people over the three days, Messner said. Apple Fest, the village’s longest-running festival, is Long Grove’s flagship event on its yearly calendar.
“We’ve seen a lot of families coming out for the first time, or they’re revisiting from their childhood now as an adult,” he said. “So it’s been exciting to see that hyped emotion of, ‘Wow, Long Grove is back.’ And not coming back; it’s back.”
Messner said Long Grove has welcomed more businesses in time for the 2025 retail holiday shopping season.
“It’s all family-run businesses,” he said. “You really are supporting locally owned, and everything that happens here gets reinvested. The biggest thing is when people come out to these events, we put the money that we earn from here back into the community.”
New this year were multiple photo opportunity displays with oversized pumpkins. There was one huge pumpkin to marvel at, and people were encouraged to guess its weight. There were also apple-bobbing and pie-eating contests.
The carnival portion of the festival was also busy with families. Alina Ungureanu of Arlington Heights visited the carnival so the Ungureanu siblings could go on intermediate-age rides.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said. “The kids had so much fun, and thank God for great weather. We’re enjoying this very much.”
Closing out Apple Fest was The Beatles tribute band American English, which drew its large crowd of fans and usual followers.
Near the main stage along the creek is Covered Bridge Park. Stopping by this newer park was Rosie Filicicchia of Naperville who posed for a photo with a jack-o’-lantern purse.
The park featured an autumn display with festive bales of hay and more oversized pumpkins.
“It’s fun to celebrate, and I love Halloween,” Filicicchia said. “Fall is my favorite time of year.”
